Jon is a purpose-led entrepreneur, festival director and events leader with more than two decades of experience building festivals, businesses and cultural experiences.
A key founding Director of Kambe Events and Shambala, Jon was central to the development of both organisations from the very beginning. Over the years he has held senior leadership roles including Festival Director, FD, COO and Managing Director, combining creative ambition with commercial strategy, operational delivery and strong governance. He stepped back from the Managing Director role at Kambe in early 2025, having helped grow the company into a successful, sustainable events business with annual turnover exceeding £5 million.
Music has been a constant thread throughout Jon’s career. He began promoting events in Manchester before spending two years in Tanzania working in sustainability and education, experiences which broadened his perspective on culture, community and international collaboration. Returning to the UK and based in Birmingham, he founded the highly successful Afrika Jam club night, which went on to tour bands nationally, before becoming a founding partner of Jibbering Records. The independent record shop became a “window to the world”, providing a meeting point for music, ideas and people and laying foundations for many of the events and festivals that followed.
At Kambe, Jon became a driving force behind the company’s business, strategy and governance, while remaining closely connected to the creative and operational reality of its events. He has led complex festival and event projects from conception through to delivery, built teams and partnerships, overseen significant budgets and navigated the challenges of running a growing events business in a rapidly changing industry.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jon led Kambe through one of the most challenging periods in its history, retaining the full staff team through furlough, securing significant cultural relief funding and developing new areas of business activity. The company emerged strongly, returning to sell-out events and record demand and surpassing £5 million in annual turnover for the first time.
Alongside his work at Kambe, Jon has contributed to wider industry and sustainability initiatives. He served for four years on the Board of the Association of Independent Festivals, was a founder of Energy Revolution (Onboard:earth), and a member of the steering group of Vision 2025. He is also a Trustee of the Kelmarsh Windfarm Community Benefit organisation.
Now working as a freelance event and festival consultant, Jon brings extensive experience of festival leadership, business growth, sustainability, governance and large-scale event delivery. Based close to the Shambala site, he remains actively involved in both the event and local community. Passionate about the role that music, culture and live events can play in bringing people together.